Gala night for the Works and Process Rotunda Projects at the Guggenheim, image courtesy of the Guggenheim.

Works and Process, the performing-arts series at the Guggenheim, has a new initiative, the Works and Process Rotunda Projects. By expanding in to the museum’s famed rotunda the new programming continues a tradition of commissioning performances for the unique architecture of the Guggenheim’s Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Peter B. Lewis Theater. On October 27, 2016, the Works & Process Rotunda Projects Gala, chaired by Isaac Mizrahi, launched the new program at the Guggenheim and helped raise commissioning funds. The gala kicked off with cocktails in the Peter B. Lewis Theater and was followed by dinner in the rotunda.

Isaac Mizrahi and guests at the Works and Process Rotunda Projects gala at The Guggenheim. Image courtesy of the Guggenheim.

The first set of projects in the Works and Process Rotunda Projects will feature MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance (February 16, 2017) and American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Daniil Simkin (September 5, 2017). The gala included a special demonstration of interactive projections planned for the Simkin project and excerpts of his and Dorrance’s productions.

Dorrance, leading a large cast of dancers and musicians during a three-week-long residency, will use tap dance and percussion to create a performative soundscape incorporating the rotunda as a musical instrument.

Daniil Simkin performing at the Works and Process Rotunda Projects gala at The Guggenheim. Image courtesy of the Guggenheim.

Daniil Simkin and a cast of dancers will utilize new technology in a performance with commissioned choreography by Alejandro Cerrudo and new music. The performance will be captured by infrared motion sensors, enhanced by 3D mapped visuals, and projected onto the surface of the rotunda. The projection aims to bridge human bodies and architecture.

A performance at the Works and Process Rotunda Projects gala at The Guggenheim. Image courtesy of the Guggenheim.The Works and Process Rotunda Projects gala at The Guggenheim. Image courtesy of the Guggenheim.